Lead Up for Women July-August 20

JULY-AUGUST 2020

Fighting the good fight How Michelle Cirocco’s journey from prison to the C-Suite of Televerde is an inspiration to incarcerated women seeking a new start Michelle Cirocco, Chief Social Responsibility Officer, Televerde

10

RE BEFO R TIPS ING FO Y L APP USINESS G B NCIN FINA

CONNECT. INFLUENCE. LEAD. leadupforwomen.com

Sharing powerful Stories LIVE each week on our new podcast Whoever says endless opportunity does not exist needs to stop limiting themselves by their beliefs that exist between their ears.

Our goal with Lead Up for Women is to empower as many women as we possibly can to Show Up, Be Seen, and to be the best version of themselves.

Having a podcast enables us to do just that. Are you ready to lead without permission and take the steps needed to live your best life? Whether you want to start the business of your dreams, learn the steps needed to love what you do, or celebrate your present and future accomplishments, our podcast will dive into deeper subjects with weekly guests who have already walked in your shoes.

Let the experts guide you to a clearer path to the future. Our show will be the perfect platform to be motivated and inspired, to advertise your business, network, and hear about Lead Up’s upcoming events.

With more than 20,000 listeners, we have the opportunity to pioneer global change for women today, as well as in the future.

We invite you to tune in to Lead Up for Women: Speak Up to Lead Up, weekly live on Facebook (on our Lead Up for Women FB page) or on any podcast outlet when you have time to listen.

We are on Spotify, Apple Play, Google Play, Stitcher, and iTunes.

Do you have someone in mind you feel would be a great interview on the show?

Do you want to share your story? Do you have a mentor, coach, sponsor or have been inspired by an amazing leader, entrepreneur, employer or friend? If so, we want to hear from you. Please submit their names, contact information, and why you feel they would be the perfect guest for the show to info@Leadupforwomen.com.

As the global leaders for empowering women, our platforms can put your brand in front of tens of thousands of active listeners. To get onboard, contact info@leadupforwomen.com for sponsorship package pricing.

Contents July • August 2020

Owned & Operated by Women’s Association, LLC Mailing Address 10522 E Sheffield Dr. Mesa, AZ 852112 Editorial Contributing Writer Rochelle Brandvein rochelle@brandveinpr.com 636.530.7225 Website & technical Support Shapeshift World Lorenzo@shapeshiftcompany.com 480.886.8005 PR social@leadupforwomen.com 602-730-5121 Membership Information Mel Carr melc@leadupforwomen.com membership@leadupforwomen.com

Fighting the good fight

16 BUSINESS

4 Founder’s Corner: How We Create Certainty from Uncertainty

LIFESTYLE

Art Director BOC design, Inc. brent@bocdesigninc.com 404-402-0125

8 Monetizing Your Passion Through Social Media

Circulation/Subscriptions subscriptions@leadupforwomen.com

6

LUFW Management: Colleen Biggs: Chief Inspiration Officer colleenb@leadupforwomen.com 480-241-3708

Why do you need social proof?

12 Unleash Your Power

LEADERSHIP

PHILANTHROPY

David Corson: Operations Manager davidc@leadupforwomen.com 404-931-6569 Lead Up for Women General Inquiry Melc@leadupforwomen.com info@leadupforwomen.com 602.730.5121

13 Seeing Opportunity Where Others See Misfortune 23 6 Tips to Creating a Culture of Excellence with Your Remote Team 24 Solitude is a Gift – Enjoy it, Maximize it

22 Make the Impossible Possible

leadupforwomen.com

10 Master Your Priorities.

Master Your Life.

Make Your First Million.

27 This Lady did not Protest Enough.

30 10 Tips Before Applying For Business Financing

Lead Up for Women

3

Founders Corner

How We Create Certainty from Uncertainty

D

ay-by-day, week-by-week, we hear news coming through our televisions, updates shared on social media and conversations within our organizations. Are we still in a pandemic? Are we quarantined? Who is quarantined?

How long will this last?

We are 100% in control of the thoughts that control our mindset— those actions and daily activities that lead to our success or failures.

Remember that what you think about all day is what you become.

If you feel anything like I do, you realize that you have no control over what is happening outside of your reality. It can be daunting if you allow it to be. It also can control your every action. But you do not have to let it. Let me explain.

We are 100% in control of the thoughts that control our mindset—those actions and daily activities that lead to our success or failures. Remember that what you think about all day is what you become. If you think of the uncertainty in your life, you will become uncertain. If you focus on your goals and are driven daily by action to reach those goals, what happens outside of your control has no bearing on where you are headed.

Take note of your daily thoughts and write them down. Log your daily actions in your calendar. Block out time to complete them so that when you are ready, you can return to see where you are spending your time. Read the thoughts you wrote down and determine if you are creating certainly in your life or allowing the uncertainties of the world beyond your control create your destiny.

The Lead Up for Women Community is here to support you along your “Certainty Journey.” Who are you surrounding yourself with daily? Do you have an accountability partner? How are you showing up in your family? Virtually? Online? Showing up is not just about being on-time for an appointment or invited to speak on stage. Showing up is about being present—BIG TIME—in everything you do. It is about taking action and being seen everywhere, all the time, in every way. My challenge to you is to set a goal and take action in “certainty” to become purposeful in your daily thoughts and activities to achieve that goal you set.

Lead Up is continuing to make BIG PLANS to SHOW UP for YOU over the next year. We are hard at work behind the scenes preparing the next level of support and will provide the tools we know you need to add to your toolbox. There will be opportunities for you to find your purpose and tap into your power to bring out the passion needed to grow yourself and your business exponentially. We will continue connecting, influencing and leading you with the confidence you deserve.

Be the badass leader you know you are, and gain the courage and confidence through the strong support of our group of women so you can live your best life. We are here to show you how to tap into your greatest power, YOU. You are the only you who has ever been, and the only you who will ever be. Be you and be strong, because you are brilliant and the world needs you. All the members of Lead Up for Women are here to offer you support and sisterhood to leading your best life. That journey starts today.

What are you waiting for? Give yourself a gift, YOU. Join us.

With Gratitude,

4

Lead Up for Women

July-August 2020

“This video blew us away. We laughed, we cried, we shared it with everyone.

Huge hit! Best wedding investment we made!”

– TRISH AND JOSEPH

We are storytellers, dreamers, and adventurers. To us, the journey is just as important as the destination.

ROBERTWORTHFILMS.COM

We know that your wedding is so much more than just a day. It is an event that has been crafted over decades by family, friends and life’s unexpected wonders. We don’t capture the documentary, cookie cutter mold of your wedding, rather we discover the unique, wonderful story behind it and bring it to life through cinematic filmmaking.

BUSINESS

Why do you need social proof?

This includes: › Speakers › Realtors › Coaches › Trainers › Doctors

By Isabel Donadio

› Artists › TV hosts › Athletes › Clinics › Authors

And the list goes on...

You already may have some social proof, so why would this be of interest to you? Time. Some people carry around accomplishments they achieved 20-plus years ago and have not built on that momentum since. Maybe that works for them, but that is not you. You are driven. You stay two steps ahead of your competition. And you know there is value in having something new to show potential clients.

If you want to be in the next edition of Top Talent Magazine, email me at tssfinisher@gmail.com. You could be on the cover, publish your article, promote your business, or all of the above.

W

ho is the most successful person here? The doctor who help thousands of people and spent years studying, or the best marketed doctor? The realtor who has helped 10,000 people find homes and grossed thousands of dollars or the best marketed realtor? Is it the speaker who has been on hundreds of stages and had her message heard by thousands or the best marketed speaker?

It is about social proof—images of you on magazine covers, bylines of your published articles, and images of you on TV shows and stages. All of this is undeniable social proof. You may know exactly what your competition knows, but social proof gives you the extra edge and ability to stay ahead of them. Top Talent Magazine only works with the people who are passionate about being of service and benefiting their clients.

6

Lead Up for Women

Some people carry around accomplishments they achieved 20-plus years ago and have not built on that momentum since. Maybe that works for them, but that is not you.

Isabel Donadio is editor-in-chief of Top Talent Magazine and founder of Talent Support Services, the majority owner of Speaker House Publishing, the best-selling author of “Finishing is Happiness” and the winner of the “2019 TWC Most Outstanding Rising Star Award.”

July-August 2020

Book Your Exploration Session With Cloversy Today!

In your business, do what you do best and outsource the rest.

Cloversy is virtually based, helping manage successful professionals and entrepreneurs’ lives started by Melanie Carr.

I not only keep up with you, I stay 10 steps ahead of you! Help you stay on task, on time, and one move ahead. Allow you to create distance from your business, so you are working on your business, not in it!

Melanie is a resourceful Virtual Assistant with over 20 years of administrative and management experience. She has extensive experience with all administrative tasks, including those time-consuming tasks such as email management, scheduling, and correspondence.

Remember You’re the Boss!

Manage successful professionals and entrepreneurs’ lives.

CLOVERSY.COM

CALL TO BOOK APPOINTMENT (808) 852-9217 OR EMAIL: MELC@CLOVERSY.COM

BUSINESS

Monetizing Your Passion Through Social Media

S

ocial media provides us with an outlet to literally reach millions of people around the world. Gone are the days when local newspapers delivered to a few hundred people and radio advertisements reached a few thousand listeners. With social media, we can share our voice with the world.

The ability we have to monetize our passions is not only possible, but simple with effective social media strategies. I learned this principle a few years ago, and it has completely changed my life.

My husband and I have always agreed that if it was possible, I would stay home with our children instead of working away from home. I am grateful he provides more than enough for our family to live comfortably.

In January 2018, I stepped away from my middle school classroom so I could stay home with our newborn daughter. This was the first time in my adult life that I had not had a full time job. It was a strange feeling. After a couple months, I started getting restless. I wanted to find something I could engage in while still staying home—something I have always wanted to do.

At that time, my stepdad asked if I wanted to run his business’ social media

8

Lead Up for Women

accounts. An owner of a local plumbing company, he had zero experience with social media. I was glad to help out. I spent months researching, listening to experts, reading books and testing strategies.

It only took a couple of months for me to fall in love with the world of social media marketing. I had an opportunity to do something I loved for work, while still doing what I loved at home. At the time, I had no idea that my passion for social media would grow into the thriving business I run today.

World-famous digital marketer Gary Vaynerchuk is known for his social media content strategies. His ability to be omnipresent across dozens of online platforms is why he is so well known in the marketing and business world today. After studying his work from every ounce of material I could get my hands on, I decided to truly put social media to the test.

The months that followed consisted of content creation and strategically putting my name in front of those I knew I could help. I received dozens of clients and started generating a decent income, solely through my social media efforts. I did not spend time or money developing a website, running Google ads or printing business cards. Instead, I spent time in Facebook groups, on Facebook messenger and my Facebook news feed.

I had proven to myself—and to my clients—that you could build a successful business using only your Facebook account. The next step was to branch out to the other major platforms. Imagine how much my business exploded when the same strategies were applied across multiple platforms.

If you own a small business and are not quite sure where to start on social media, here are a few strategies that will push you in the right direction.

Treat your Facebook profile like a “top of funnel” lead generation machine. The same way people used to use websites to generate traffic, you can use your profile to tell people what they need to know. Your profile should include an eye-catching cover photo with a call to action, a link that enables people to book a call with you, a featured photo with a call to action, links to your other social media platforms and website(s), and a simple call to action in your brief bio. When people visit your personal page, it should be clear what you do and who you help.

Join and engage in as many Facebook groups as you can that house your potential clients. I usually suggest joining one new Facebook group a day. After interacting in each of them, you will find a few good ones that will reap you all the rewards of your group efforts. When in Facebook groups, your main priority is not to sell your product or service, but to help people and demonstrate your authority in the

July-August 2020

industry. Never post about your business in other people’s groups. You should respond to people’s posts, offer advice where possible, and post about things that group members find helpful. Trust me, your potential clients are watching, and they will notice.

Send a friend request and start a conversation on Facebook Messenger with a minimum of five people per day. These people should come from the groups you have been interacting with. Once they accept your friend request, you are still not trying to sell them your product or service. You are connecting and genuinely finding out if there are areas you could provide some value to them.

Post to your personal profile a minimum of once a day. The four categories I suggest people post about regularly include personal life, business offer, business education and industry specific content. If you fill your profile with these kinds of posts, people visiting

leadupforwomen.com

your profile will know exactly what you do and who you help.

In all your social media efforts, focus on helping people. Just like having a conversation in person, people can see right through you on social media. If you are trying to spam people and be salesy, they will notice. Your name and reputation depend on you genuinely caring about helping people, not just caring about getting their credit card information. Focus on helping people and the sales will take care of themselves.

There is no better way to build a brand nowadays than social media. The social marketing possibilities are quite literally endless. That is why people across every industry are starting to

catch on to the trend. Business owners taking the plunge are rapidly reaping the benefits. If you have been in business for a while, you know that things are constantly evolving. Whether it is technology, marketing or social media platforms, there is always something new. To be blunt, if your business is not on social media, you are falling dangerously behind your competition.

So, can you really monetize your passion using only social media? I answer with a resounding yes.

If you want to talk one on one to get specific strategies for your business, book your free strategy session today at amplifiedsocialmarketing.com. There is enough value on these calls to completely revamp your social media plan.

Ashlyn Leyba is the owner of Amplified Social Marketing. You can connect with her by emailing Ashlyn@amplifiedsocialmarketing.com or calling 623-526-1433.

For more information, visit amplifiedsocialmarketing.com.

Lead Up for Women

9

BUSINESS

Master Your Priorities. Master Your Life.

Make Your First Million.

T

here I was, yet again, on my phone outside a restaurant having a so-called “dinner” with my family. I was pacing on the “concrete-curb-balance-beam” (you know the one I mean)—talking with a client “who needed me,” when I happened to glance through the restaurant window to see my family laughing and enjoying dinner, creating memories without me.

My heart sank.

In that moment, I realized that after 20 years in lending, working ridiculously long hours, experiencing financial ups and downs, being overwhelmed and stressed in daily chaos, chasing uncommitted realtors (often on weekends) and harming my family, life, health and business; I had not been in many of their memories.

Somewhere along the way I had lost sight of what truly made me happy.

I thought, “Oh my gosh, I am prisoner to a business that owns me, and I am losing everything that’s important to me.”

I was so focused on the busynessof-the-business—doing activities for the sake of activities—that it felt like eating soup with a fork. I was tired, drained and not fulfilled. When I was with my family, I really was not. I was there physically, just never emotionally.

10 Lead Up for Women

How many games, recitals, romantic evenings, birthday parties have you physically and emotionally missed? Do you even remember them? I have been there for 20 long years. It makes me sick to think about it now—just sick. When do you really uncover this reality? Is it when your daughter tells you about something fun that happened during a family vacation and you do not even remember the vacation?

To make matters worse, at that time, I was consistently funding 18 loans a month, but could not seem to break through the glass ceiling to the next level. I lost sleep over what I thought I could be doing wrong.

I felt that everyone else was doing more business than me, which resulted in me having the insatiable drive to work even more. I began to wonder if it was all really worth it.

Living in chaos, working long hours, babysitting your loans, chasing

clients, realtors and money does equal success. Period.

So then I started to think, “How can I have both experiences—life and success?” The great Les Brown said, “If you're casual about your life, your life will become a casualty.” Ask yourself, “Is my life becoming a casualty because of my business?

I have come to learn that “a life of priorities and values adds value everywhere in your life.” Prioritize your family and you will be fulfilled. Prioritize your health and you will feel better. Prioritize your finances and you will sleep better. Everything in your life will grow, including your business.

My father used to say, “Jen, you can rust out or you can wear out, it's your choice.”

It is a choice—a choice to be present during the journey we call life. What I learned was that if I was going to withstand a long-term career in lending, it would be essential for me to choose my life desires first. Then I could build an amazing business to add value everywhere. I can help you with this, too.

The key was to get out of my own way and let go of the invisible chip on

July-August 2020

my shoulder. The chip many of us have is, “My clients only want me, no one else could do a better job, and it is easier to just do it myself.”

I was in a bottleneck because of my inability to let go of my insatiable appetite to control everything. Sound familiar? When I was able to slow down enough to think through my business, I was able to recognize that one of the reasons I was experiencing a revolving door of referrals was not because of me, it was systems created to build a killer customer experience. If I could duplicate the experience and the systems utilizing team members, I would get more of my time back.

So I made the choice to hire others to help me with tasks I dreaded, and within a few months, we broke through that glass ceiling—not just to 19 loans per

Mastery strategies, which if implemented effectively and properly, can lead you to achieving more success (financially or personally).

No. 1 — Clarity Are you clear about your core values?

What do you truly want in life? What fulfills you? What are your priorities? Is your marketing message clear and consistent?

Does it align with your values? Does your brand align with your message?

No. 2 — Credibility What have you done to improve yourself personally and professionally? Certifications? Designations? Are you a master influencer in your area? Are you known for a specific niche or product, or are you selling anything to anyone? Do your clients see you as an expert?

Are you tracking and measuring your activities and results? Do you have an accountability partner? A mentor or coach?

Are you scheduling time for you first?

Very simply, these are the five areas I have focused on for years—even now.

The simplicity is astounding, yet so many continue with the chaos.

For the past 15 years, I have been privileged to share these strategies to help mortgage loan officers and realtors “Crack the Top Producer Code” and multiply their results in record time. I did this by showing them what it is like to say yes to their personal lives, which sometimes

The chip many of us have is, “My clients only want me, no one else could do a better job, and it is easier to just do it myself.” month, but right on up to 26, and then 30, and more.

I had created a client attraction system, which in turn saved time and allowed me more personal time to pursue the things I love—competitive ballroom dancing, boating, competitive shooting, “dates” with my husband, children and grandchildren.

There would be no stopping our team, resulting in more than $1 billion in funding during a time when I began to transition into full time speaking, coaching and podcasting. More than just the funding volume increasing; my personal and professional relationships excelled as well.

Then there was my psychological state. I was present in all aspects of my life. To my surprise, I attracted even more people, which allowed me to continue to work less, live more and grow my business.

Looking back, I am dumbfounded as to why I spent so many years sabotaging everything that was so important to me.

Imagine the results you could be experiencing right now if you could make this type of pivot in your business.

Often, we know what to do, but we do not know how to do it. Let me introduce you to the five Lifestyle Business

No. 3 — Community Are you nurturing or neglecting your database? Do you have systems to ensure regular engagement? Are you working with the right people? Saying no to the wrong people?

What retention plan do you have in place?

No. 4 — Communication Do you have value-added systems in place to attract referral partners? What kind of client experience are you creating? Is it consistent? Are your systems in your head or easy to implement?

No. 5 — Continuity Would your calendar show consistency in your daily routine for leads, processing, retention and referral partner contact?

means saying no to their business. My passion is guiding you to achieve professional and personal breakthroughs so that you can stop the chaos and regain control of your business by mastering your priorities and values—and then be the master of your life.

Ten years after my “restaurant” experience, there I was again. This time, I was spending a month with my husband in Europe sitting on the balcony of our hotel in Barcelona. I gazed across and looked at him, thinking and feeling so free-spirited, relaxed, present and experiencing life. In that moment, I realized that my business was growing and running smoothly back home. And it was happening without me.

That felt good.

Jen Du Plessis is recognized as an influencer in her industry as the best-selling author of “LAUNCH-How to Take Your Business to New Heights” and host of the top ranked podcast “Mortgage Lending Mastery.” She also is a highly sought after and charismatic international speaker, sharing the stage with icons like Darren Hardy, Tony Robins and Les Brown. Text STRATEGY to 66866 for a Breakthrough Strategy Session.

LIFESTYLE

Unleash Your Power I

had this brilliant idea at the beginning of the year. Leave my job, publish my book empowering women to create the life they had always wanted (as I was doing), and lead workshops for women based on the book. It was perfectly orchestrated. I had a partner for the workshops and a marketing team for the book.

Everything was on schedule until, of course, the world shut down. My partner’s workshop business was struggling.

He did not know how many employees he would need to furlough, or worse, let go, but he knew he needed to considerably cut back. My programs were part of the cut back. My marketing plan for book launch, which included a tour, keynote speaking and book signings, were all cancelled.

“It’s okay I told myself…just keep going.” And so I looked for a book tour and speaking engagements a bit further out. But shortly after my pep talk to myself, those too were cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Disheartened, discouraged and wondering now what, I carried on. At that point, I could not find a job if I wanted to, nor did I want to. I knew the direction I was heading was not panning out the way I had intended—not even close.

In my book, “Unleash Your Power,” the third step is Design. This is where flexibility and faith are needed with your dreams that have not yet come true. It can be a most frustrating time because you can see your vision is so close to manifesting. Garth Brooks’ song “Unanswered Prayers” comes to mind. I don’t know what the outcome would have been had the recent past gone the way I had planned. But it didn’t.

It is in this step—Design—that I need to remind myself daily to be flexible and that there could be something exciting right around the corner. I must be open to opportunities I did not even consider.

In this way, my vision of positively impacting women is still present, but the way I thought it would occur is different.

What visions did you have six months ago? Have you given up or thought, “There is no way I can do this now?” Perhaps you are right. There is no way you can do this the way you thought

12

Lead Up for Women

By Kirsten Blakemore

going, albeit differently than you originally anticipated. Or, you could give up.

Don’t. The world needs your messages now more than ever. The world is in need of empowered women, not ones who shrink under pressure.

I believe that if our visions and dreams were easy to achieve, they would not hold meaning. It is because they are so challenging to realize that they mean so much to you.

We are not done with the virus crisis. We are not done with the world throwing us curveballs. We are in dire need of supporting each other through this, so that when we consider giving up, someone will tell us, “Don’t you dare.”

The world needs your gifts. Open yourself

The world needs your messages now more than ever. The world is in need of empowered women, not ones who shrink under pressure. you would six months ago. I never thought the world would shut down. But if you stop at the point where your visions could vanish, they will never become a reality. Only you have the choice to keep

to a different path to achieving the goals you have defined for yourself. If we can celebrate our small “wins” along the journey, they will empower us to keep going for the bigger ones.

For more information… kirstenblakemore.com amazon.com/Unleash-Your-Power-empowered-according/dp/1734532815 linkedin.com/in/kirsten-blakemore-ma-pcc-cpcc-chc-2989836 facebook.com/unleashyourpowerwomen

July-August 2020

Seeing Opportunity Where Others See Misfortune

By Rocio Vivanco

A

t 17, I immigrated from Peru. It was 2002, and I was filled with dreams and expectations for the great future I was determined to create in America. My father raised me to believe that with a degree from the greatest nation in the world, I would have doors open to me.

All I needed to do was study and work hard, and I would be on my way to build my American dream. I attended college for International Business and chose Chinese as my elective foreign language. I wanted to challenge myself and Chinese is really difficult. Exposing myself to the language and culture when I studied abroad in Shanghai for 10 weeks opened a wide variety of opportunities.

I received a paid internship from a high tech company that was not part of the study abroad program.

All I had to do was walk into the President’s office and introduce myself with my language skills. But mainly it was my obsessive desire to make the best out of my opportunity of being in China. This included the four summer crash courses I was already taking at the time. After my experience in China, I understood that opportunities are everywhere, and that we have to be bold and have an open mind to see them when they show up.

During my time in college, I met my first husband with whom we made a great team helping each other get through college without debt. We both worked full-time at a bank call center from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., which left time to study full-time after those hours.

In 2005, real estate was booming, so we decided to take a leap of faith and buy our first home. Prices were skyrocketing. Six months later, we decided to buy our second home and keep the first one as a rental. I became a landlord at the age of 22.

But there were more challenges ahead. When the worst recession since the Great Depression hit in 2008, we lost the houses in foreclosure. The $30,000 in down payments that we still owed our parents was gone, along with the opportunity of being homeowners and landlords.

leadupforwomen.com

At the China Wall

Rocio age 8

I graduated right after the recession in 2010 and the consequences were still hitting hard. A week into my new position at a new company, the company downsized several departments. I could not believe what I saw happening to the greatest nation. I prayed every day that I did not lose my new job. I also prayed

for the wisdom to understand what I could have done differently to minimize my losses.

In the meanwhile, I was clinging to my American dream—the one I had left my dear family, friends and hometown to chase. My prayer was answered in the form of a book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” The book not only revolutionized my way of thinking, but contradicted what my loving parents had taught me.

My parents always said get a degree, work hard and you will succeed. This probably worked in their generation.

But in my generation, following that recipe did not guarantee a good job or a good income, especially not in my American dream. The book taught me about the power of cash flow and leveraging my time. I was mesmerized by its lessons and I was ready to take action.

But my husband was not. He was paralyzed with everything that we had experienced and the new challenge of keeping our jobs. I do not blame him.

Starting again is never easy, but if you do, it is always rewarding.

In 2011, my husband met someone who changed his life and we divorced shortly thereafter. My world was upside down. Some of you might have experienced that time when your biological clock starts ticking. Mine involved my dream of becoming a mother. I learned that everything in our lives happen for a reason and for a greater purpose.

This painful experience taught me the power of faith. Through my spiritual journey, I healed and began looking forward to finding my better half—a person who shared my faith and purpose in life.

In the meantime, while my maternity intuition was at its best, I decided to channel that love and desire into fostering children. I fostered for two years and I would not trade the parenting lessons I learned for anything in the world.

In 2012, real estate was booming again at a much stable pace. I decided it was time to pursue what “Rich Dad,

Lead Up for Women

13

LIFESTYLE

Poor Dad” had awakened inside of me. I bought my first home four months after my divorce. Then, I bought my first rental property. After that, I flipped my first property without even knowing what flipping a house meant.

I do not think the flipping TV shows even existed back then. I was determined, and although my rehab budgets were a joke compared to today, I started cleaning, painting and sanding with my partner in crime, the one who has supported me since the beginning, my mother. My investments were thriving. I was in alignment with my purpose in life. Even though my path has never been easy, doors were opening up, which made the challenges small compared to the opportunities.

First house flip

The questions I have for you is, “Are you using this time to recreate your life and reshape your future?

Or are you lamenting in your losses or trials?”

In the process of becoming a diversified investor in a male-dominated industry, you will find challenges, such as dealing with contractors who try to take advantage of your naivety and kindness. I have been in situations where I have had to place a restraining order on someone or take people to mediation, etc. This is an industry where greed comes in many forms. You need to rely on your intuition and core values.

By 2016, I owned several rental properties, a multi-family unit and was flipping properties. I was ready to fire my boss. The news was shocking at my company since I was a dedicated worker. But I could not run my business and work full-time simultaneously. My decision was a big leap of faith because I was the only source of income supporting my business. I remember shaking in my boots while taking my resignation letter to my boss and having second thoughts. Several people questioned my decision.

14 Lead Up for Women

Indy house flip Rocio and business partner

July-August 2020

In the end, you must follow your intuition. As women, that has to be a very powerful one. Do not lose the opportunity to see the power of what lies within you.

The years of 2017 and 2018 were great for my new career, which proved I could not have chosen a better path.

I was making money while sleeping and on vacation. This is the power of cash flow. But I deeply desired to meet the love of my life. I was single for so many years and I was ready to create a beautiful family.

I entered into a marathon of prayer, and in due time, I met him on May 18, 2018. He was exactly how I had visualized him. He was from a big city. He had a career. He was faithful.

The phrase, “Good things come to those who wait” applies in my life. The wait, which at many times felt like an eternity, was finally paying off. Exactly one year later, we were married.

Today, we are expecting a baby girl we will name Victoria. We chose that

name because Victoria represents the many victories I have had in my life. I do not believe in downfalls or misfortunes, I only believe in opportunities.

You can choose to play the victim or be creative, optimistic and resilient. That choice will shape your future.

COVID-19 has brought many challenges. The questions I have for you is, “Are you using this time to recreate

your life and reshape your future? Or are you lamenting in your losses or trials?”

This misfortune is another opportunity is disguise. Those who are capable of seeing it are the ones who will thrive and benefit from it the most. I sincerely wish you the very best. You deserve a great future. The best news is that it is already in your hands.

With deep love, Rocio.

More from Rocio

Email: rocio@wasire.com Website: wasire.com Linkedln: Rocio Vivanco Van Korlaar For direct Airbnb reservations: wasireairbnb@gmail.com “The Wild Wild West Las Vegas Home” airbnb.com/rooms/43002093?s=67&unique_share_id=921c06f7-ede The “Other Las Vegas Home” airbnb.com/rooms/43001265?s=67&unique_share_id=629e1384-193

Starting September 3rd, 2020, every month on the 1st Thursday, Lead Up for Women and Partnering Member Sponsors will continue to support our mission to Unite Women of all Cultures, Race, and Diversity in realizing their greatest potential by inspiring each other to lean in to their best self and lead up from everywhere, then in turn, inspire others to do the same. We call it Lunch-N-Learn!

We invite you to grab your lunch, 90 minutes of your time, and be educated, motivated, and inspired by our Founder, Colleen Biggs, as well as spend time purposefully connecting with the other attendees. This is your opportunity to expand your circle, learn about additional resources to expand your knowledge, and Show Up to Lead Up in your personal life, your community, and your business/career! Remember, if learning is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you. Come join us!

Register today:

leadupforwomen.com/events

16 Lead Up for Women

July-August 2020

Fighting the good fight

How Michelle Cirocco’s journey from prison to the C-Suite of Televerde is an inspiration to incarcerated women seeking a new start

Michelle Cirocco is not the kind of success story you are used to hearing.

And to be honest, that is just the way she likes it. Sentenced to prison based on some poor decisions she made, Michelle had the option to take one of two roads: Live in the misery of her decisions and situation, or find a better way forward.

Choosing the second option is why her story is one with hearing.

Today, as the Chief Social Responsibility Officer of Televerde and Executive Director of the Televerde Foundation, Michelle’s life work—the passion she lives for—is to help other incarcerated women take the same steps she did. A fighter from the word go, Michelle has spent every day since she was released from prison and joined Televerde in 2002 working her way up the corporate ladder—starting in sales, and eventually spearheading its marketing efforts before taking on her new roles.

We sat down with her to get her thoughts on why second chances are so important and how each of us can make a difference in the lives of others.

Give us a snapshot of Televerde?

As the Chief Social Responsibility Officer of Televerde and Executive Director of the Televerde Foundation, my passion is empowering incarcerated women. I have a personal connection to this community.

I know the devastating impact of having people and businesses want to define you by your worst mistake.

From my perspective, the more we can develop these women, the greater their ability to leave their criminal

leadupforwomen.com

record where it belongs—in the past.

The mission of the foundation is to help currently and formerly incarcerated women successfully join the global workforce. To do this, we provide training, education, and personal and professional development programs that enable them to develop the skills necessary for meaningful and rewarding careers and successful community reintegration.

Tell us what makes Televerde so unique?

We are the first and only fully integrated sales and marketing technology organization with a proven execution model for generating demand and accelerating sales. The company combines end-to-end sales and marketing solutions to drive engagement, pipeline and revenue for the world’s leading B2B companies, including SAP, Adobe-Marketo and Pulse Secure.

Since it began in 1995, Televerde has generated $8 billion in revenue for its clients. You may not find any of that unique, but we’re a purpose-built company. Televerde believes in second chance employment and strives to help disempowered people find their voice and reach their human potential. Seven of our

10 engagement centers are staffed by incarcerated women, representing 70% of the company’s 600-plus global workforce.

In 2005, Televerde’s visionary and former CEO Jim Hooker realized that improving the employability of incarcerated women was only half the battle. As they are released, they need jobs. And since Televerde could not hire them all, he wanted to ensure they were completely prepared to transition back into the community. That was the beginning of the TOPs (Televerde’s Out Placement Support) workshops, which were designed to prepare women for reentry and employment.

In 2020, the Televerde Foundation was launched to expand on this program, and design and deliver a robust workforce development program that focuses on personal wellness, workplace readiness, employment strategies, financial literacy, lifelong learning and mentoring.

Who are you targeting?

Televerde’s role in business is to generate leads, grow client pipelines and accelerate sales across all industries. Our core industries include manufacturing, software, telecommunications, consumer products, staffing and waste management.

Why do you do what you do?

I’ve always said that I have the best job in the world. I’ve seen first-hand the outcomes we can produce when we match Televerde’s best-of-breed model with corporations, governments and other entities that want to change the norm,

Lead Up for Women

17

and couple that with the personal and professional development services of the Televerde Foundation.

Most important, I’ve seen how people’s lives have been changed because this company invested in them and gave them a second chance. I’m proof of it. When you witness this for yourself, and when you’re the beneficiary of it, it becomes incredibly important to do all you can to help change the trajectory of even more lives.

What hurdles have you overcome being a woman in business?

Does a prison sentence count as a hurdle? Here’s my story: With a deep desire for upward mobility and what I call “a misguided sense of entrepreneurialism,” I led myself down a path of making some poor decisions, which ultimately led me to prison. When I got there, my counselor said to me, “I’m sure you didn’t grow up expecting to go to prison, but here you are. What are you going to do about it?”

I decided I was going to use it as an opportunity to change the trajectory of my life, and I did. This is when started my career with Televerde in an entry level sales position. That was in 2002 after I was released. I was hired at their corporate office and I started my climb up the corporate ladder. I started in sales, then I ran sales for a while. I helped restructure the company and created our Client Success department. I ran that for seven years and then was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2017. Now I’m Televerde’s Chief Social Responsibility Officer. Earlier this year, I was appointed Executive Director of the Televerde Foundation.

What do you do to give back?

Right now I’m building a non-profit.

Televerde and the Televerde Foundation work hand in hand. Since Televerde’s inception, 3,000 women have graduated from the Televerde program. The threeyear reconviction (recidivism) rate for our graduates is 5.4%. (This is 91% lower than the national three-year recidivism rate.) In 2020, Arizona State University’s Seidman Research Institute unveiled the economic, social and fiscal impact of our prison workforce development program on individuals, families and the state of Arizona.

Leaders who inspire me are visionaries— those who have a long-term strategic vision and who can articulate that vision in a way that inspires action.

The results reveal that graduates of Televerde’s program go on to attain employment, earnings, and education at higher rates and reoffend at significantly lower rates than other formerly incarcerated females in the United States.

Graduates are two times more likely to be in gainful employment post-release.

And 94% of graduates are in paid employment five years after incarceration, compared to 49% of other formerly incarcerated women. Graduates earn almost four times the national average for formerly incarcerated females. Graduates return to society with an average of $10,000 in savings to help with reentry costs (clothing, secure housing and pay for transportation post-release).

Despite similar levels at the time of incarceration, graduates attain higher levels of education with 84% having some college and 30% earning advanced degrees. Dependent children are 11 times more likely to graduate high school than dependent children of other incarcerated mothers. Adult children are 11 times less likely to be incarcerated compared to the adult children of other incarcerated mothers.

What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?

My goal is to help rapidly grow our company and foundation so we can expand what we know is a proven methodology to different geographies and other groups that need support and opportunity. Our BHAG is to provide 10,000 life-changing opportunities over the next decade and expand to help more disempowered populations.

What is your method to staying connected with other women in business?

I’m constantly networking. I love to meet and learn from new people. I try to attend as many events as possible to spread the Televerde story and share the Televerde Foundation.

What mentors, sponsors or coaches have played an important role in your success?

My greatest mentor was Televerde’s co-founder and former CEO Jim Hooker.

Jim wholeheartedly believed “the human spirit under the right conditions and given the right opportunity could rise up and achieve extraordinary things.”

Because of his unwavering commitment to the growth of Televerde and continued investments in society’s most vulnerable, I’ve had the privilege of seeing more than 3,000 women transform

18 Lead Up for Women

July-August 2020

their lives and rejoin society to become successful leaders, caregivers and business professionals. As a beneficiary of Jim’s vision, I am honored and inspired by the opportunity to continue his work.

How do you stay current with today’s trends?

I’ll be honest, negative news cycles really hinder my ability to stay positive and move forward. I prefer to stay current with trends on LinkedIn. I always ensure that I connect on LinkedIn with the incredible people I meet at events or through my work, so it’s easy for me to quickly see what other thought leaders are saying.

But beyond connecting with people and liking posts, I actually click-through and read things thoroughly. Then, when I find something new or interesting, I dig a little deeper, learn more and figure out how to use the information effectively.

What is your growth plan?

I’ve always said I’m not interested in leading a foundation to teach classes to a few hundred women. Did you know that there are 81,000 women released from prison each year in the US? That number inspires me to do more. My growth plan for the Televerde Foundation is to continue to expand and provide relevant career programming for women across the country and beyond. In order to do that, we need the support and partnerships of like-minded companies to ensure funding and development opportunities to build prison to workforce pipelines that help our partners reach their goals while supporting the mission of the foundation.

My goal is to help rapidly grow our company and foundation so we can expand what we know is a proven methodology to different geographies and other groups that need support and opportunity.

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now?

Significantly raising awareness for the foundation itself, the problem we seek to solve, and identifying the organizations and partnerships that will help us provide these solutions.

What’s the most rewarding part of your career?

Every day I have the opportunity to witness women successfully transition back into the community. They reunite with their families and their children, start professional careers, graduate from college, buy houses, and achieve things

leadupforwomen.com

Lead Up for Women 19

they once believed impossible. It simply a gift to be able to witness their dreams come true.

Describe a typical day.

What is your secret to success?

Learn, work hard, set goals, ask for help—and this is important—don’t be afraid to say what you want. I am

a firm believer in this idea from the Alchemist, “When you want something bad enough, the universe will conspire to make it happen.”

I get up every morning at 5 a.m. and have coffee with my husband, Chris. I check my schedule for the day, do my devotional, workout and walk my dogs.

I’m at my desk by 9 a.m., where half of my day is filled with Zoom calls. These are typically focused on how we’re building out the foundation, raising awareness for our cause or speaking engagements for my other position as Chief Social Responsibility officer of Televerde. The other half of the day, when I’m not on calls, is spent working on the business.

What are we building? Where are we going? What are the goals? What am I pursuing next? I’m constantly looking forward for positive impact.

I wrap up the day enjoying a cocktail with my husband, usually my favorite, a fresh grapefruit martini. And one more Zoom call, this time with my new grandson. Chris is a great chef, so we typically have an amazing homemade dinner. If it’s summer, we’re in the pool. In the winter, we sit by the fire for the rest of the evening.

One-on-One with...

Tell us about your family?

My family is full of men who have stolen my heart. I live in Arizona with Chris. Together, we have two amazing sons and two incredible daughters-in-law. I just became a Mimi to my first grandson. It’s the best.

What motivates you every day?

We’ve come a long way in changing the societal stigmas associated with the formerly incarcerated, but there’s still much work to be done. The narrative that’s widely accepted today is that US prisons are reserved for the worst that society has to offer and that those who are incarcerated are unsalvageable. This is a myth. About one-third of Americans today have a criminal record so the reality is they have to be salvageable.

Finding empathy and providing a path forward for individuals with a criminal record will not only help them

20 Lead Up for Women

Michelle Cirocco personally, but strengthen families, communities, businesses and economies. Because this group I support is so stigmatized, I realize that if I don’t do this important work, many of them will be left behind. It’s what gets me out of bed each morning.

How do you prioritize your health, family and career?

I try to prioritize in exactly that order. If you had asked me this question just a few years ago, my career would have been first. But I have a renewed focus on my health and family. After my former boss had a massive stroke, I realized and recognized that I didn’t want to end my life having given everything to my career and missing out on the most important things, so I adjusted my priorities. We make time for what’s most important, so if you recognize that health and family are the most important, it’s much easier to put them above all else.

July-August 2020

How do you tap into the power of YOU that makes you unique?

And how has that pushed you forward?

This seems like such a simple question, but it isn’t. It’s very easy to define ourselves and our stories by our careers, but we are so much more than that. I think women generally have a difficult time defining who we are outside of our careers and our children. It is very easy to define ourselves as a mother, a wife, an executive, etc. But the challenge comes when we look beyond these roles. We give so much time to everything else that we often lose sight of who we are inside.

I am all of these things: a mother, a wife, a new grandmother, a daughter, an executive at a sales and marketing company, the executive director of a non-profit. But I am also a convicted felon. I’m a woman who through my own actions made a huge mess of my life, then faced the consequences head-on. It is through this experience that I define who I am today.

I am a woman who is capable of anything I set my mind to. I am a highly motivated learner who is driven to achieve my “next big thing,” no matter what it is. I am passionate about learning, creating new experiences, and enabling others to recognize their value and seize opportunities to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

Who inspires you?

I am inspired everyday by the Televerde women who are pursuing and achieving their dreams. Every day, I witness women successfully transition back into their communities.

They reunite with their families and their children, start professional careers, graduate from college, buy houses, and achieve things they once believed impossible. It is simply a gift to be able to witness their dreams come true.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by the future, by having an idea and seeing it come to life and making it happen. This is true in my personal life as well as my professional life. I love to think about a vacation, and turn it into an experience or seeing a business idea come to life and help others.

What’s the best thing a consumer/client ever said to you?

I have a few of these, but if I must choose just one, it’s likely when Brian Mohr, then president of the Arizona Chapter of Conscious Capitalism, was visiting our Engagement Centers at Perryville Correctional. He was having a roundtable with the women he met, and he told them how there was absolutely no difference between them and him, other than a bit of luck. That they were there, in prison, for many of the same things he did in his own life during college and beyond. No one had ever been that candid or truthful before during a professional visit, so it was a powerful statement for all of us.

leadupforwomen.com

What are your strongest traits as a leader?

This is a tough one. I think my strongest leadership traits are being authentic and vulnerable. I make mistakes. I am afraid. I don’t always know what I’m doing. And I’m alright with saying those things. By being authentic and honest, people can connect with me on a more human level.

Leaders who inspire me are visionaries—those who have a long-term strategic vision and who can articulate that vision in a way that inspires action.

How are you mentoring/sponsoring others?

I make myself available to the women I work with. I have an open door/open email policy. I give them my time, answer questions, share experiences, etc. Through the foundation, we are constantly bringing educational opportunities and experiences to our incarcerated women. Our goal is to give them access to anything that will help them learn and advance.

What are you reading now?

Fiction books for me are indulgent and I save them for summer. I’m about to finish up “An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones. Next up is “Where the Crawdads Sing.”

What are your favorite hobbies?

I love anything outdoors. The weather dictates my hobbies, but I enjoy scuba, snorkeling, skiing, golfing and hiking. My favorite indoor hobby is designing craft cocktails.

How do you like to spend your down time?

See above. After my hobbies, I’m usually in my backyard, by the pool, enjoying something delicious from my pizza oven.

What was the best advice you ever received?

Two things that changed my life: When I arrived in prison, my counselor said to me, “I’m sure you didn’t grow up expecting to go to prison, but here you are. What are you going to do about it?” He urged me to use my time to make me better and to make a difference. It was that moment that led me to Televerde and my strong will to better myself.

The second thing came from my former boss and mentor, Jim Hooker, who told me, “Education is like exercise for the mind, the more you do, the greater your perspective of the world.” This is how I became a lifelong learner.

What does “Lead Up” mean to you?

My mom always said, “If you have enough, then you have enough to share.” Lead Up seems like that to me. Almost like paying it forward. I feel blessed every day that I wake up living this life, amazed by my second chance and the incredible life I now have. Everything that I have is mine to give, and I feel obligated to give away as much as I can to as many people as I can. It’s how I grow and do better, and help others do the same.

Lead Up for Women

21

LEADERSHIP

Make the Impossible Possible How Sandra Hill continues to be the guide in life’s great journey Refocus and Gain Clarity Do you have a sense of purpose? Are you living your passion? I am now. I wasn’t for a long time. I did not realize it though. I did realize that something was missing; I just could not put my finger on it.

Did I go around “seeking” to find what was missing? No. What was missing actually came into focus one day. But it was not until I “refocused” and “gained clarity” that I began to live my passion.

Yes, there were times I felt frustrated, but that feeling diminished once I discovered my sense of purpose. And you know what? You can, too.

We all get frustrated. But I found that each person deals with their frustration differently. Re-focusing your frustration is a great way to take negative energy and turn it into positive. In other words, rather than doing or saying something you might regret later, choose to have a more positive impact on your actions. If you do not control your frustration, it tends to lead to anger.

How do you refocus?

First, you must be able to recognize you are feeling or getting frustrated. Try to calm yourself by breathing slower. (Some find that closing their eyes and counting to 10 backwards helps.)

The second step is to ask yourself certain questions that are designed to help you understand yourself and become more aware of possible triggers. Possible questions might include: 1. What is the desired outcome of the conversation or situation?

2. If I were to visualize the outcome, would it be a positive one? › If not, what needs to change? What needs to happen? › If the action is a positive one, what actions do you need to take to ensure that the situation or conversation remains positive?

3. If the conversation is what is frustrating, do you need to adjust your tone?

4. If the situation is what is frustrating, do you need to adjust your actions?

22

Lead Up for Women

5. If the time, place or person you are speaking to is not ideal, you have the power to change it, so how can you do so?

Finally, when you speak again, remain calm and positive. If you are able to do so, interject humor. Be sure to positively express your frustration and share what needs to change or what your “hot button” might be. Try to schedule a “better” time or different location to have the conversation or work through the situation.

Now, to gain clarity, try this exercise: List all the things you are not clear about.

Review each of them by asking these questions: › Is it important for me to gain clarity on this issue? If the answer is yes, jot down at least three things you can do to fix the situation. › Prioritize the list, but only work to resolve the first item. › Decide how much time you will need, and calendar it or schedule like you would a doctor’s appointment You must focus and gain the needed clarity to act because every action you take is an opportunity for you to make an impact—on yourself, your family, the lives of others and your community as a whole.

Meet Sandra Hill

Author. Speaker. Trainer. Radio show host.

Life, business and career coach. So how did Sandra Hill get to this chapter in her life? That, she says, may be the makings of a “yet-to-be-written” autobiography. It has been quite a ride. The daughter of a career military officer father, Sandra considers herself a world-traveler, moving almost every year until her teens. Along with English, she speaks French, German and Latin.

After getting married and raising a family, she found herself in the unique position of being a coach, not only helping her family, but being the one people recommended talking to.

After 36 years of civil service and more than 20 years of studying business and coaching books, she sought formal training and certification.

Post retirement, she decided to become an entrepreneur, and founded New Horizen Coaching & Professional Growth Advancement, serving as a mentor to those committed to advancing their careers. Her company’s motto is “Make the Impossible Possible.” She also volunteers with several non-profit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics and Open Hand.

For more information or to reach out to Sandra, vistit newhorizencoaching.com.

July-August 2020

6 Tips to Creating a Culture of Excellence with Your Remote Team

A

s remote work and work from home opportunities become a major industry trend across various sectors, it has become important to talk about the work culture you would like to have within your remote team. Below are some tips you can use to create a culture of excellence within your virtual team.

of any insecurities. Misunderstandings among your team can create extra work and frustration, all the makings of poor performance and turnover.

5. Keep the Water Cooler Talk Intact A team can easily become disconnected when working remotely. Keeping your team connected via technology will dismiss any feelings of being left out or alone. Keep morale high by sharing things unrelated to work, the news of a new baby or move to a different city will keep everyone engaged and connected.

1. Your Culture You can only improve if you know where you stand. It is important to know the present culture in the company to figure out what steps you must take to create a culture of excellence. Access what the present culture lacks and figure out ways to convert the opportunities into successes for your remote team. This will give you a perfect start in your quest to create a culture of excellence.

2. The Leader Be the leader you want to see in your team. When I began working with remote teams, I quickly noticed a shift in leadership. It was no longer boss versus employee, but a team of individuals, including the leadership team, working together for the betterment of the company.

Leaders are the individuals who do not like to think of themselves as someone outside of their team, but someone apart of it. It is true they are the decision-makers, but they also are willing to dig in when a team member needs help. To lead a remote team and develop a culture of excellence, you will have to lead the team by example. This will help you create a well-organized team.

3. Attract Through Transparency Allowing the world—i.e., social media—to see the inner workings and day to day moving parts of your company is the easiest way to engage the team members of your dreams. By being transparent, you can attract individuals who share similar values and goals. This will ensure you have team members motivated and ready to serve immediately upon working with you.

leadupforwomen.com

By Shequana Hughes

Shequana Hughes

Leaders are the individuals who do not like to think of themselves as someone outside of their team, but someone apart of it.

4. Manage Expectations Want to get the best out of your team members? Develop a habit of setting expectations upfront. Doing so will set your team member up for success and will make it easier for them to contribute successfully. This also will relieve them

Bonus Tip: A tool used across business sectors and industries is Slack—a collaboration hub that keeps teams connected.

This also saves your email from clutter.

Think text messaging meets email.

6. Ask for Feedback If you are serious about creating a culture of excellence with your remote team, stay active in asking for feedback.

Knowing if your team members are working in their area of genius, has suggestions or needs for improvement is critical.

Giving team members the opportunity to speak freely about things that may be troubling them is just as important.

Create an “open door” policy via email or a scheduled video chat.

Creating a culture of excellence is more important now than ever before.

Not being able to share a space with your team can be difficult to navigate, but can be made easier by following these steps. Use these tips to help boost productivity and create better working relationships within the team.

Shequana Hughes is the founder and Online Business Manager of The SAVA Group Virtual Assistance Agency. The SAVA Group is a team of administrative professionals that provide time-saving administrative and creative support to small business owners all over the United States. For more information, visit thesavagroup.com.

Lead Up for Women

23

LEADERSHIP

Solitude is a Gift – Enjoy it, Maximize it D

o you enjoy your own company?

Really. Do you?

Many of us have been spending a lot of time alone lately due to the pandemic (unless of course, you have kids living at home, in which case you probably wish you had more time alone).

If you are an essential worker—whether in healthcare, a grocery store or pharmacy, a transit worker, a first responder or in law enforcement, or the like—thank you for all you do every day in this public health crisis and always.

We all miss seeing our friends and families, traveling and dining out freely, and going to concerts, movies, sports events or the theatre. We are social beings, and it is especially stressful when we need to be alone to protect ourselves, when it is literally a matter of health and safety.

According to the most recent U.S. Census, 36 million people in the United States live alone, across all age groups.

That is 11% of the total U.S. population—or more than one in 10 people. Women live alone in much greater numbers than ever, too. According to OurWorldInData.org, approximately 7.8% of women ages

24 Lead Up for Women

30-45, 18.6% of women 46-60, 31.8% of women 51-75, and 46.6% of women 76 and older live alone.

We can see being alone as miserable and waste time complaining, or we can see being alone as the gift of quiet time—an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate our own company. A time to get to know ourselves better. In her best-selling book, “Intimacy and Solitude,” psychotherapist Dr. Stephanie Dowrick calls it “welcoming time with your own self as you might welcome time with a friend.”

How we look at things is our choice.

Here are five ways being alone can be an opportunity:

No. 1 — Tackle important or delayed projects Being in solitude helps you focus and concentrate, so it is a good time to do in-depth projects that require that kind of intense focus, like writing a book, developing a course or making furniture.

You can fix something in your home you have wanted to fix, or even mend mildly torn clothing (don’t you hate holes in your socks?), garden or cook. So many people

By Joan Michelson

have started baking bread during this pandemic that markets are running out of flour.

I wrote in Forbes about the many ways we can use this pandemic forced-isolation time productively and to grow our careers. Those links are at the end of this article.

No. 2 — Write You can write, even if you are not a writer and/or do not want to write a book. One of the most important ways to build your brand today and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to attract new opportunities is to write blogs and articles about your field and post them on LinkedIn and/or Medium (free), where many people can see them. Also, post them on social media and your own website, if you have one.

You can also write for your own personal development in a journals. For example, you can write letters to people you will never send something to or someone who passed on. This can help process emotions that are coming up during this extended time alone.

Maybe you want to write about losing people, or about getting more perspective on the importance of our health, or about how you miss people you cannot see in person right now because of COVID-19. Maybe you want to write about how you feel about your job, work or business, even your kids, spouse/ partner or someone you are dating— whatever topic comes up.

Writing is so helpful that “journaling” has become a verb commonly used in therapeutic circles. I find that just getting something out of my head and on to paper is a relief. I also often find a difference between what I thought I was going to write and what I ended up writing, giving me more insight. I call it the alchemy between mind and fingertips.

July-August 2020

No. 3 — Think Creatively Free-associating, questioning and experimenting are three of the four keys to the “Innovators’ DNA,” defined by the late-great Clayton Christensen in his seminal book of the same name. As high-achievers in the Lead Up for Women community, we have our own ideas, probably lots of them.

We spend so much time reacting to and being distracted by other people’s ideas, agendas, stories, news and priorities—or what our friends, colleagues and business associates are posting on social media—that we can lose sight of our own ideas, and of what we want. Our inboxes are full of other people’s agendas and priorities. As Dr. Carter wrote in that Psychology Today article, “It's hard to think of effective solutions to problems when you're distracted by incoming information, regardless of whether the source is electronic or human.”

This time alone is an opportunity to listen to our own ideas and solutions. We can let our minds free-associate when

How to redesign and accelerate your career This is an excerpt of Joan Michelson’s forthcoming book (due out in 2021) on how we can redesign the career and work ecosystem to accelerate women’s careers.

It is based on hundreds of interviews with women innovators and leaders for her podcast, “Green Connections Radio” (on every podcast platform), and from her articles in Forbes, HuffPost, TheAtlantic.com, Career2.0, The New Economy and network news, including “60 Minutes.” The book also features insights from her personal experience as a leader in Fortune 500 companies and as a journalist in major media organizations.

You can reach Joan at joan@greenconnectionsradio.com. You also can find her on LinkedIn, Twitter and her website, greenconnectionsradio.com.

taking a walk, speaking our ideas into the voice memos on our smartphones or jotting them down so we do not lose them. It is important to keep pads and pens by our beds and couches to make notes of ideas that pop up randomly, even as we mindlessly watch Netflix.

Studies show that solutions to vexing challenges often pop up when

we are not thinking about them, or when something unrelated triggers an idea. You never know where it might lead. I have developed ground-breaking partnerships that way, or come up with ways to approach a client issue or an idea to write about. Psychologists call brainstorming your own ideas “brainwriting.”

Learn. Serve. Lead.

Lead Up for Women is proud to

present this exceptional opportunity to travel to Guatemala April 15th-26th for an 11-day / 10-night service trip in the settings of the Mayan Villages and discover the most beautiful places in Guatemala! This trip will include learning from the Mayan Women, serving alongside them, then, in turn, teaching the Mayan Women. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to activate your learning, service, and leadership globally.

For more information or to register, visit www.localhope.org/Volunteer See: Lead Up for Women’s Journey to Guatemala: “Learn, Serve, Lead!”

LEADERSHIP

No. 4 — Increase self-awareness “One of the great pleasures of solitude is that it gives you a chance to take a rest from seeing yourself through other people’s eyes—or how you are imagining other people are seeing you—and to discover how you feel on the inside about your own self.”

To be a better person, mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, boss, employee, student, researcher, entrepreneur or athlete—any role—we need to understand what is in our own minds and hearts, and separate ourselves from what anyone else thinks. Every leadership guru and successful person from Oprah, Jack Canfield, Brendon Burchard or Ellen DeGeneres will tell you how important self-awareness is. Yet, it is sorely lacking in today’s society, as we fill every second with other people’s input.

Being alone is an opportunity to tune out the noise of others and tune in to yourself, your own thoughts, ideas and feelings.

We can hear how we sound when we talk to people, notice the words we choose, what we eat (or don’t), how we exercise (or don’t), how we clean and maintain our homes and possessions (or don’t), and how we spend our time.

I have my coaching clients keep a time log for a week, recording literally everything—sleep, eating, FaceTime with friends, etc.). It is always enlightening.

Most importantly, listen to your selftalk. Do you beat yourself up or talk to yourself as your BFF? I realized through working with a terrific, brave coach several years ago that I was beating myself up.

When we talk kindly and compassionately to ourselves, we relate to people better, achieve our goals faster, and therefore, save a lot of time, frustration and energy.

We become a better person.

Us Type-A people think that being hard on ourselves helps us do great work. But when you beat yourself up, you actually get in your own way. You know the thoughts I am talking about. Those self-destructive thoughts drain your energy, kill your self-esteem and self-confidence, and make you feel stupid and insecure, which unconsciously seeps into your conversations, tone of voice and actions.

No. 5 — Enable healing We need to know how we really feel, not how others tell us we “should” feel. Being alone, we can process our emotions and circumstances we face, think through a

26 Lead Up for Women

We spend so much time reacting to and being distracted by other people’s ideas, agendas, stories, news and priorities that we can lose sight of our own ideas, and of what we want. problem. Counsel ourselves by asking what we would tell a friend or colleague in that situation or with that feeling.

Alone-time can be an opportunity to gain perspective and process things we may have ignored—things that creep up again in the silence (working with a coach or therapist is good to maximize healing those, too). Dr. Shoba Sreenivasan and Dr. Linda E. Weinberger call it “emotional nourishment” in Psychology Today.

Separating from others can enhance our relationships, too. As psychologist Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter wrote in Psychology Today, “Solitude can enhance the quality of your relationships with others. By spending time with yourself and gaining a better understanding of who you are and what you desire in life, you're more likely to make better choices about who you want to be around.”

“Spend your life in your own way.”

Use this time to find out what that is and move it forward.

One of my best friends gave me a birthday card many years ago that

featured a quote from 16th Century playwright Christopher Marlowe. The quote said, “There is only one success – to be able to spend life in your own way.” The quote is prominently displayed in my home.

To do so, we need to know and feel what “our own way” is. That requires introspection, knowing yourself, and what you really want to do. Then, you can use the gift of time by yourself and mine your creative ideas. Do things you have wanted to do, like write a book, play or novel, create art or work in your garden. Express yourself “in your own way.”

Being alone is key to finding out what you truly want, separate from “them,” and from the noise. It can be a time of tremendous self-awareness, creativity and productivity. It can move you forward exponentially in many ways. It also can be a time of binge-eating, binge-watching, being a sloth and feeling miserable.

It is all in how you look at it, and that’s your choice.

Want to hear more from Joan?

Joan's Forbes blogs: forbes.com/sites/joanmichelson2 Using pandemic time as an opportunity forbes.com/sites/joanmichelson2/2020/03/14/10-ways-to-use-workingremotely-or-self-quarantining-as-an-opportunity/ Using pandemic time for your career forbes.com/sites/joanmichelson2/2020/05/25/10-career-tips-for-leveraging-thepandemic-shutdown/#5af5a9de4d33

Resources: ourworldindata.org/grapher/percentage-of-females-living-alone-in-the-united-states-by-age vox.com/the-highlight/2020/5/19/21221008/how-to-bake-bread-pandemic-yeast-flour-baking-kenforkish-claire-saffitz stephaniedowrick.com/published-works/books/intimacy-solitude-3/ psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201201/6-reasons-you-should-spend-more-time-alone psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-nourishment/201812/the-benefits-spending-time-alone psychologytoday.com/us/experts/shoba-sreenivasan-phd-and-linda-e-weinberger-phd psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/theres-a-better-way-to-brainstorm.html#.WMntwBLyvBI

July-August 2020

PHILANTHROPY

This Lady did not Protest Enough.

I

wanted to join the protests. I swear I did. But the thought of mingling with that many people after placing myself in self-quarantine for so many months made me queasy.

No, it is not a good excuse, which is why I am offering my sincerest mea culpa.

I sat on the sidelines as an observer during this troubled time, and I am ashamed because I always take a stance when morality is involved.

Instead of joining in, I became hyper-focused on the confusing mixed messaging of COVID-19: Pools are closed, but casinos are open. Stay at home unless you absolutely must go to Wal-Mart. Limit grocery store trips, yet order restaurant curbside pickup.

Nothing about what happened to George Floyd oozed of mixed messages.

He was unarmed. A police officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine

leadupforwomen.com

minutes and, after communicating numerous times that he could not breathe, Floyd died.

Our world—already in a tailspin from the pandemic—spiraled even further into the abyss. The turmoil thickened, and my search for understanding this tragedy led me to a more thorough quest for knowledge. What do phrases like “racial injustice” and “systemic racism” really mean? I wanted to delve in deeper so I could be better by becoming better informed.

As a middle-aged white woman, I can merely empathize with racial

By Rochelle Brandvein

injustice and how it affects targeted individuals and groups. The discrimination I face as a Jewish woman pales in comparison to the violence toward/ and oppression of the Black community.

I can basically walk down a street at pretty much any time of day without fear that I will suffer negative repercussions.

I have freedom that every human being should have but does not.

While I was not physically present at the protests, I did delve deeply into uncovering ways you and I can help promote equality and embrace humanity.

My research of over-policed and under-protected communities has led me to seek out inspirational Black leaders and outstanding resources that continue to make a difference. I’d like to share some of them with you.

Lead Up for Women

27

PHILANTHROPY

Times They are A-Changin’ Colors of Change (colorofchange.org) is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. With more than 1.7 million members throughout the world, the organization works with corporate and government decision-makers to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. They fight racism and injustice in both politics and culture in order to change the written and unwritten rules of society.

It’s Getting Better All the Time The Black Women’s Health Imperative (bwhi.org) is the first nonprofit organization created by Black women to help protect and advance the health and wellness of Black women and girls. The organization promotes physical, mental and spiritual health, and well-being for the nation’s 19.5 million African American women and girls.

aggression and misconduct by funding short-term projects utilizing film, stage and fine arts.

The Human Connection/Connector Michelle Obama is many things: Lawyer. Author. First African-American First Lady of the United States. Advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity and healthy eating.

Michelle and her husband, President Barack Obama, formed the Obama Foundation, which includes programs like The Girls Opportunity Alliance (obama.org/girlsopportunityalliance), which seeks to empower adolescent girls around the world through education, and; My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (obama.org/mbka), which focuses on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color where they feel valued and have clear pathways to opportunity.

While I was not physically present at the protests, I did delve deeply into uncovering ways you and I can help promote equality and embrace humanity.

The Right Stuff

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Founded by civil rights activist and football quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Know Your Rights Camp (knowyourrightscamp.com) advances the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, massmobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.

Here is a list of more ladies who have made or are making a difference: › Dr. Cheryl Anderson was recently named the founding dean of University of California San Diego’s Wertheim School of Public Health. She is the first Black female dean in the nearly 60-year history of the campus. › Maya Angelou was an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet and civil rights activist. Her 1969 memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman. › Muriel Bowser is the second female mayor of the District of Columbia, and first woman to be reelected to that position.

You Lead and I’ll Follow Filmmaker Ava DuVernay—director of the Oscar-nominated “Selma” and “13th”—recently launched the Law Enforcement Accountability Project (LEAP) (leapaction.org), a storytelling initiative to keep police officers accountable through multiple forms of media.

LEAP’s mission is to disrupt the code of silence that exists around police

28

Lead Up for Women

› London Breed was elected in 2018 as the first African-American woman mayor of San Francisco. › Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968 at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

She represented New York’s 12th District for seven terms and was the first Black woman to seek presidential candidacy with a major party. › Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), leads one of the country’s most important national civil rights organizations in the pursuit of equal justice for all. › Amanda Gorman is a published author and the first U.S. Youth Poet Laureate. She is the founder and Executive Director of One Pen One Page, which promotes literacy through free creative writing programming for underserved youth. › NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson worked on the space agency’s first mission in 1961, which helped carry American Alan Shepard into space. In 1962, she verified computer calculations that plotted John Glenn’s orbits around the Earth. › American abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman who helped save more than 300 slaves via the Underground Railroad. She never learned to read, but she helped open schools for African Americans and spoke on behalf of women’s rights until the day she died.

Pass the Popcorn COVID-19 has created an opportunity for binge-watching movies. Here are a few educational films about social injustice, racism and civil rights you definitely need to see. › “The Hate U Give” is based on a book about a teenage girl who deals with racism, police brutality and activism after her black friend is murdered by the police. › “Just Mercy” is the story of lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his

July-August 2020

history-making battle for justice for wrongly accused inmates on death row. › The Golden Globe-nominated “Selma” focuses on the historic 1965 journey that Martin Luther King, Jr. made from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in order to fight for equal voting rights for Black Americans.

› The documentary “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” highlights the life and work experiences of Morrison, who was the first Black American writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993.

One More Thing I may not have physically participated in the protests, but I was there in mind

and spirit. I wholeheartedly agree with President Barack Obama’s words that Americans need “to work together to create “a new normal” in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”

What are you doing to ensure a hate-free and violence-free world? I’d love to hear from you.

Rochelle Brandvein is the owner of Brandvein-Aaranson Public Relations, a 30-year-old PR agency that recently pivoted to solely handling nonprofits and companies with a philanthropic arm or foundation. Her company specializes in publicity, copywriting and creative services.

Join us in leading Up through giving back

Donate: www.localhope.org/donation Volunteer: www.localhope.org/volunteer Sponsor a Child for School: www.localhope.org/sponsor/ students-seeking-sponsors

Did you know your gift of $30 can provide a night of safe housing for mother in need? Make your lifechanging donation to Maggie’s Place www.maggiesplace.org.

SheLift is a 501(c)3 organization that empowers young women with physical differences to discover confidence and self esteem through outdoor recreation and mentorship.

Donations accepted: https://shelift.org Founded by Sarah Herron (previous Bachelorette contestant)

“The WBDC (Women’s Business Development Council) has helped more than 18,000 women across 169 Connecticut towns become better business people. WBDC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing the tools and resources to help women thrive in business. With a belief that if desire, education, and preparation come together, opportunities are created, and economies are expanded. The WBDC provides training and education necessary for women to launch and grow their businesses.”

NOT YOUR AVERAGE BRACELET BRAND. We didn’t just want to be another cute bracelet brand. Screw that. The facts are clear - all of these causes are in desperate need of additional financial support and awareness and we knew we needed to do our part.

Every bracelet donates $5 to the cause it supports. We worked tirelessly to find nonprofit organizations that are actively making positive strides towards change and really need our help to continue to do so.

leadupforwomen.com

Lead Up for Women 29

Lead Up Tips

10

ORE R F E B TIPS ING FO Y APPLUSINESS B CING N A FIN

5.

Compare Lenders & Requirements Understand that every lender is different. Just because one lender may be willing to finance your business or property, you may get more attention or better terms with another one. Pay close attention to things like loan amount, interest rate, fees or collateral requirements, as they vary per lender.

6.

Have Your Financial History Ready Financial statements are like the financial dashboard of your business. Be prepared to provide your balance sheet, income statement, account information, bank statements and tax returns as part of the process. Most commercial lenders will require this information to consider your loan, although some put more emphasis on this than others.

1.

7.

2.

8.

3.

9.

4.

10.

Know Your Business & Personal Credit Your first step should be to check your credit. Your credit history will play a significant role in what type of loan you qualify for and is especially crucial to a lender in certain circumstances. In commercial financing, you do not need perfect credit, but you need to be aware of any concerns.

Use Technology to Your Advantage Prequalify your business or investment property financing amount by using software available to you online—for example, leveragecalc.com. By prequalifying your financing request against common commercial lending guidelines, you can get an estimate of how much you can finance before speaking to a lender.

Prepare an Executive Summary Lenders will want to see you have a clear vision for your business, a realistic view of the goals you can achieve in the future and a plan to repay them. You can do this in a brief summary document.

Gather Your Legal Documents Many lenders may ask for your business licenses, articles of incorporation, commercial leases, franchise agreements, and so on, as a formality of the loan process. Ensure you are organized and ready to provide these if needed.

Understand Your Numbers You must demonstrate you know how your business works and can repay the lender. For example, knowing how your business cash flows monthly is an advantage when exploring any financing for your business.

Determine How Much Debt Your Business Can Afford Lenders will review your financials and calculate your debt service or interest coverage ratio, also known as your DSCR. If you calculate your DSCR before applying, you can make a very compelling case as to why you need the amount you are requesting and why you can be trusted to pay it back.

Invest Some of Your Own Money If lenders see you are willing to put up some of your own money in your business or property, they will know you are serious about moving forward. Personal collateral also decreases a lender’s risk in a transaction and can increase your odds of being approved.

Speak the Same Language as the Lender When applying for any business loan, the lender is going to ask you an array of questions.

Financial literacy is an advantage when seeking commercial financing. Be prepared to answer lender questions quickly and clearly. Providing incorrect information can hinder your approval.

Source: Stormi Scott is the Business Development Manager at Leverage, a finance software dedicated to helping business owners and property investors make smarter and more informed lender financing decisions. For a demo of the software, contact Stormi at stormi.scott@leveragecalc.com.

30 Lead Up for Women

July-August 2020

THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY GET-AWAY! This is a one-of-a-kind, I’m serious about being seen in this world and it starts NOW kind of get-away! Because you are WORTH IT!

Be You Be Strong is an Elite Sanctuary for Women that have a burning desire to lead their lives without asking permission of others.

This Powerful supported gathering is designed to foster your unique personal story, and individual clarity and growth; all while nurturing the discovery of YOU and your personal brand.

Perks of this Sanctuary • 5 star accommodations in a luxury mansion • Entertainment, Great Conversations, and Deep Connections with 19 other ladies • Healthy food prepared by our personal Chef V Capaldi-The Paleo Boss Lady • Daily yoga, meditation, journaling and self love!

• Half day field trip to give back in the community to women that need our power • Live for 3 days under one roof while being pampered with great food, self care, massages, and much much more.

• 4-week Accountability Coaching w/ Colleen & all attendees following the event • But, you have to Show Up to be seen...

DON’T MISS THE LAST SANCTUARY FOR 2020

NOVEMBER 5TH - 8TH

Apply today, only 20 women will be chosen for each Sanctuary Your application will be used for the sanctuary you note on the application.

WWW.LEADUPFORWOMEN.COM/EVENTS

Need Responsible, Fully Engaged Employees?

The #1 competitive advantage for ‘organizations of high performance’ is investing in a human system that creates a NEW KIND OF TEAM in which people are motivated from within. These organizations have developed a RESPONSIBILITY-BASED culture.

– Judy Ryan, CEO LifeWork Systems

A RESPONSIBILITY-BASED culture is one where you have buy-in from everyone at EVERY LEVEL. Only then do your people show up STRONG no matter what circumstances they face. Everyone works together collaboratively, embracing a common mission. For this to occur, conditions must be supportive and inclusive, so work gets done quickly and efficiently. Then, despite, extreme conditions, your organization THRIVES and you see rewards everywhere.

Are you an executive responsible for systems that positively impact employee engagement, agility, performance and productivity?

If so, this event is for you!

« Click on this video for a short preview. (https://vimeo.com/416733222)

Free Event: Improve Your Business By Improving Your Culture This 2-hour event is provided by LifeWork Systems and is limited to 10 executive leaders who want new ideas, support and strategies to meet today’s challenges, stay ahead of today’s trends, are passionate about staying competitive and highly productive and are: 1. Responsible for systems that impact employee engagement, agility and performance 2. Willing to complete a quick organizational wellness survey before this event LifeWork Systems has been a leader in culture transformation since 2002.

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 16, 9:00 - 11:00 am

www.lifeworksystems.com